IN continuing our extended Player Focus series, we take a look at another prospect who stood out recently in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). This week, in Round 7 of the League competition, we put Peel Thunder prospect Isiah Winder under the microscope, as he made his second top flight appearance for the Thunder in their 35-point loss to ladder leader, South Fremantle on Saturday.

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PLAYER PAGE

Isiah Winder
Peel Thunder/Western Australia

DOB: May 16, 2002
Height: 179cm
Weight: 79kg

Position: Small forward/midfielder

>> AFL Draft Watch: Isiah Winder

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PLAYER FOCUS

Stats: 6 kicks, 5 handballs, 11 disposals, 4 marks, 2 tackles

Winder earned himself a call-up to the League side after another strong performance in the Colts, where he has impressed with his midfield craft and class. While he did not get the opportunity to play midfield at League level, the 18-year-old gained some valuable time battling against the undefeated South Fremantle unit, utilised up either end of the ground down. Winder made his League debut in Round 3 and will be hoping to keep his spot in the young Peel side. He certainly showed some good signs, with his ball use easily up to the standard.

Q1:

Winder started the game down back, which is a position he has not played often at Colts level. He had a nice bit of play early, showing clean hands below his knees to take the ball and quickly execute a dinky left-foot pass which showed a lot of class. Shortly after, he was paired up with the dangerous Haiden Schloithe and would give away a holding free kick against him in a marking contest on the wing, but fared better on him in other contests later in the game. He had another awkward moment with Schloithe, this time after receiving a switch kick at half-back. Winder tried a quick dinky kick down the line, but it was intercepted by that man Schloithe, making for one of his rare errors with ball in hand. He also made some nice defensive efforts; getting back to rush a behind having nullified the contest inside defensive 50, despite getting caught behind an opponent on the lead. He followed up that effort, taking the kick-out with a nice pass to teammate Jack Sears.

Q2:

One eye-catching bit of play came in the second quarter where he gathered the crumbs deep in defence, then faked an opponent and executed a classy little handball to get his side out of trouble. His next disposal came from a mark at half-back, and he would quickly kick the ball long down the line to a leading player which looked nice off the boot, but was just a tad too high for his leading teammate. His last disposal for the quarter was another nice gather at half-back and a slick handball to follow, again showcasing his clean hands.

Q3:

Winder’s third term was his most prolific, starting with a clean handball on the wing. Not long after, he would have another nice play on the wing which came from his pressure on an opponent running to kick inside 50. Winder’s closing speed effected a poor kick, which saw him then quickly work up the field to receive the ball after his side won back possession. Winder followed up with a nice long handball to set up his side’s movement inside 50. It was a great passage from the youngster, showing he could defend and attack to a high standard, and again proving he can really hurt the opposition with his clean disposal. He had a good bit of play later in the quarter with a slick gather close to goal, doing well to sit in the dangerous spot and handball out to a teammate under pressure. The disposal was a little untidy, but a good effort nonetheless.

Q4:

Winder got to play as a forward in the last quarter, which is a position he played well in the Colts last year. Despite his familiarity in the role, Winder did not have any results on the scoreboard and it was his quietest period of the game. His only disposal in this quarter came very late, receiving a handball in the middle. He showed great vision to spot Sears with a snap kick that was perfectly placed, again showing his class with ball in hand. It was quick thinking to not only identify the target, but also identify the type of kick needed to execute the kick. Winder’s forward pressure late in the quarter was fairly good, but he could use a bit more consistency in his intensity to defend as a forward.

Closing thoughts…

Winder got a lot out of this game, playing roles he would not normally play at Colts level to show his potential versatility to recruiters. He had some big matchups, especially on Schloithe, and more than held his own against bigger and stronger opponents. Winder’s skill and class more than held up at the level and is something that sets him apart from his peers. As classy as he looked, I’d like to see some more intensity and consistency in his defensive game, and bringing that up to the level of his skills would go a long way to making a big impact at League level and catching the eyes of recruiters.

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Power Rankings: July 2020 | August 2020
>> 2020 Western Australia Under 18s Squad Prediction

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Featured Image: Owen Davies/Peel Thunder